Container



March 1941- c. B. M CLASKEY 3, 43

CONTAINER Filed Oct. 15, 1957 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 4, 1941UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE CGNTAINER Charles B. McClaskey, NewPhiladelphia, Ohio Application October 13, 1937, Serial No. 168,758- 1Claim. (o1. 220-58) The present invention relates to the manufacture ofreceptacles or containers such as used for garbage or other wastematerial. The object of the invention is to construct a lid or cover forthe container which is easily locked in position so that accidentaldisplacement of the lid is prevented. The device is characterized by thefeature that the lid is locked in place by rotating it on the can, andby engagement of the bail ears with a projecting flanged or beadedportion of the lid. The design and arrangement of the parts are simpleand inexpensive.

Containers with looking lids have been known heretofore but theadvantages of the present invention lie in the simplicity of the meansemployed and its efficiency and inexpensiveness as it can be made bysimple stamping methods. In fact this special form of container and lidmay be manufactured at a cost not exceeding the cost of manufacture ofan ordinary container.

In the drawing and description, the best known and preferred form of theinvention is illustrated, but it will be understood that the principlesof the invention may be carried out in other specific forms andembodiments.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved form of container or can inits best known or preferred embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the can showing the lid in locked positionin full lines and in unlocked position in dotted lines;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the ear or bail attachment with the lidunlocked and in position to be raised;

Fig. 4 is a detail of a bail ear blank in its fiattened condition;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of a modification of the invention.

The numeral I indicates the body of the can or container which, asshown, is round in cross section and upon which is the lid 2 providedwith the customary handle 3. The bail is indicated at 5 and is pivotedin the bail ears 6 on either side of the can.

The construction of these bail ears is particularly to be noted. Thebail ears constitute lugs with which the lid will interlock when it isplaced in certain angular positions on the can. In other angularpositions the lid will release from the can. In the form shown in Figs,1 to 4, the bail ear is made from a fiat-stamped metal blank which isfolded at the middle and provided with lugs by which it is secured tothe body of the can by riveting if desired. It may be soldered orwelded.

The form of the sheet metal blank before folding is shown in Fig. 4. Inits finished form the ear comprises the body portion 8 in the uppercorner of which is formed the hole 9 for the reception of the bail. Onits upper, inner edge is provided the recess I0, preferably formed bythe downwardly extending tip H. This blank may be made from scrap metalwith little loss.

The lid is provided with the usual downwardly extending rim providedwith outwardly extending 10 beaded edge or flange. The lid however i notcircular, as is the usual construction, but is oval or elliptical inform with the short axis of the ellipse equal approximately to thediameter of the top of the can. When placed with the short axis of thelid, across the can, or in line, or approximately in line with the bailears, the rim and its bead or flange will clear the overhanging portionof the ears where it lies between the body of the can and the ears, asshown in Figure 3, in which position the lid may be lifted from the can.

When rotated through approximately 90 degrees or to the position shownin Figure 1 and in full lines in Figure 2, the excess width on the longaxis of the lid will throw the beaded edge into the recesses in the bailears beneath the overhanging portions II and the lid cannot be lifted orknocked off the can. By the simple act of turning the lid, it may bemoved to locked or unlocked position.

The principal features of the invention are the formation of the bailears so that the rim of the lid is received between the body of the canand the inner faces of the ears and the provision of the recesses in theinner walls of the bail ears to interlock with the lid on its rotation.In the preferred form, the interlocking is secured by forming the lid ina non-circular or elliptical form so that the long axis of the 0 lidafiords the interlocking. This form is preferred as it merelynecessitates an oval or elliptical die for stamping out the lid. Cuttingof the lid is not required and consequently there is no waste materialand no weakening of the lid.

The lid is preferably formed on a true ellipse so that an unbroken anduninterrupted bead will be retained. In cans in which the lid is cut orflattened at regions to provide for the interlock, the bead isnecessarily divided and discontinuous which serves to weaken the lid andto destroy the strengthening and form retaining properties of the bead,whereas in the construction shown herein the bead is not destroyed, butis continuous and unbroken, thus preserving the full 5 strength of thestructure while allowing for the rotating locking feature.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6, the bail ears 30 are formed withoutwardly facing recesses 3| and the lid with an inturned flange 32 onthe rim. The elliptical formation of the lid causes the lid and body tobe interlocked on rotation of the lid, but in this case the locking ofthe parts occurs when the short axis of the ellipse is in alignment withthe bail ears or lugs. In this form lugs stamped outwardly from the bodyof the can may be employed in place of the bail ears.

In all forms of. the invention the lid cannot be removed except byrotation of the lid. The lid, therefore, cannot be knocked offaccidentally. A reversal of the preferred form is possible, i. e.,making the can body elliptical and the lid circular, but obviously theelliptical lid is preferable.

Such a variation in construction is shown in my copending applicationSerial No. 173,416, m d November 8, 1 7- What is claimed is:

A container having a circular body and a lid therefor having adownwardly extending flange loosely fitting around the body to allow forrotation of the lid on the body, the lid being in the form of an ellipseand having a continuous outtumed head of uniform cross-section aroundthe lower edge of the flange and lugs on the outside of the can body atdiametrically opposite points, said lugs being undercut on their innerfaces so that their extremities may overlie the bead when the lid isplaced upon the body and rotated to locking position, the innerextremities of the lugs being at a distance less than the long axis ofthe elliptical lid but greater than its short ax1s.

CHARLES B. MCCLASKEY.

